QuoteReplyTopic: Foot Surgery Posted: January 21 2005 at 2:44pm
Has anyone had foot surgery to remove bunions? I have to get it and I was told that have to wear special shoes for 6 weeks after each foot it worked on!! I'm 20 and I HAVE to wear cute shoes thank you very much. And there is going to be screws in my foot! I've heard of a few alternative methods (like from DrMoy.com) and I was just wondering what your experience has been. If there are any methods that offer a really short recovery time...
This is because I can spell konfusion with a K It's hard to like it It's to dying in anothers arms And why i had to try it... - Something Corporate "Konstantine"
eKatherine
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Senior Member
Joined: August 06 2004
Status: Offline
Points: 1368
These are the only feet you're ever going to have, girl. You need to start taking proper care of them, even if it means you need to compromise a little on the cutting-edge cuteness of your shoes.
I assure you, when you're 40 and hobbling around, looking forward to 40 more years of pain, you won't be saying to yourself that it was worth the sacrifice to wear painful shoes for a few years.
Just looking for a few good hair slaves - is that too much to ask?
MoNiCaxOC
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Member
Joined: December 21 2004
Location: Chino Hills, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 113
I work in fashion - I can't wear gross shoes. Oddly enough, my feet hurt LESS when I wear heels than when I wear tennis shoes.
This is because I can spell konfusion with a K It's hard to like it It's to dying in anothers arms And why i had to try it... - Something Corporate "Konstantine"
demodoll
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Member
Joined: December 19 2000
Status: Offline
Points: 922
Well, let me tell you my experience. I went to a podiatrist to have foot surgery because I didn't like how my feet looked and wanted a "toe job." I have long skinny feet with long skinny toes and the toes are bumpy from caluses since no shoe ever fits well. I had small bunions as well but that did not bother me. I had no pain or problems. The podiatrist had an absolute fit about my feet, operated on all five toes, put a permanent pin in my big toe knuckle.
They didn't tell me this ahead of time but I had to be on crutches for two weeks! I assumed a couple of days off my feet and then back to normal. Oh no, no. I wasn't allowed to drive for six weeks. I couldn't do that so I learned to drive with my left foot. I had to have several weeks of physical therapy. I didn't have a lot of pain but the inconvenience was terrible and you can't wear a regular shoe again for at least two months if ever. I still cannot wear pumps, pointy toe shoes or real high heels anymore--actually I mostly wear flip flips because they don't touch my feet anywhere that I had the surgery. Most of the shoes I had prior to the surgery hurt too much to wear now.
There was a pin in one toe to straighten it and it came out. I had to have that toe redone and it still isn't straight. I have numbness and pain in all five of those toes now, they all have scars and are ultra sensitive to touch. I am MUCH worse off than before and my toes really don't look better because of the scarring and because even though my last surgery was over six months ago the toes are still swollen.
Please, please, please do not have this surgery done. It is the biggest mistake I ever made in my life and if I can keep even one person from subjecting themselves to this mutilation it might be worth it. Unless you cannot walk I don't think this is the answer for anyone. See several doctors before you consider this. Podiatrists are not the only ones who do this surgery. Check it out with orthopedic surgeons as well. I cannot say it enough--IT ISN'T WORTH IT!
I am lucky that I am a telecommuter and work at home. Otherwise I would have missed weeks of work and probably would have had to go on short term disability. You really can't walk much or you just have to have everything redone.
They want to do my left foot but I said NO WAY! Just don't do this to yourself.
"It is better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous" Billy Crystal
You know, I don't really remember. It seems like the entire thing was about $2800 including anesthesia and stuff. I have pretty good insurance and it covered most of it so I didn't think about the price too much.
"It is better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous" Billy Crystal
According to an orthopedic surgeon friend, bunion surgery is among THE most painful surgeries, if not the #1 most painful.
I had a pretty painful bunion years ago, then I started wearing Birkenstocks, Born, and Stegmann clogs exclusively. The bunion went away without surgery..... I only wear cute shoes when going out at night now. Birks and Born clogs the rest of the time.
Your best bet would be to ask your doctor or podiatrist. If you have insurance it will probably cover it. If you don't or if insurance won't cover the surgery, ask about payment plans and stuff. You probably will need general anesthesia and you generally have to have an operating room and all that stuff so it can add up. I would suspect it would be over $1000 for everything.
"It is better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous" Billy Crystal
I had surgery yesterday and my foot hurts like hell. I was concerned about my 2nd toe on the right foot. It was longer than the big toe and it tended to bend into a hammertoe so I opted for surgery. o my surprise the podiatrist told me that I needed to have a bunionectomy to make space for the 2nd toe. My big toe was fine and I didn't think that I had a bunion. He said that it was small and that he couldn't do the 2nd toe w/o 2st doing the big toe. So, I let im do it anyways and now i have a screw in my big toe and a pin in the 2nd. Hopefully my recovery time will be quick but it hurt like hell to put my foot down b/c as soon as blood runs to my foot it throbs. My podiatrist prescribed my vicodin whch makes me dizzy and high but at least it keeps the pain away. I also hae to wear a surgical shoe which is more appealing than the big boot they make you wear. I go back for post-op next Friday---the only thing I'm worried about is removing the pin in a couple weeks---the screw is permenant. Oh yeah, I only have to pay $200 which is my copay for local anesthesia and I have Open Access HMO insurance. I think that's good b/c most people pay about $1000.
My hair idol
Transitioning
Current Length:1"above bra strap-layered
Texture:3c
*~*~* Jazz*~*~*
demodoll
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Member
Joined: December 19 2000
Status: Offline
Points: 922
Be careful how much weight you put on that foot. I was on crutches for several weeks. It was a real pain but I had to have some of the work redone because I didn't stay off the foot long enough. My toes look much worse now. I had a pin in one toe and a permanent screw where the bunion was. The pin didn't bother me at all to remove but that screw is still very painful. I am toying with the idea of having it removed if it won't incapacitate me again. If I had it to do over I wouldn't I guess is the bottom line. I didn't have much pain which was good because I couldn't take the vicodin. I spent the whole first post-op day throwing up from that. I did fine with ibuprophen. Go for physical therapy if they will authorize it. It helps a lot.
Good luck!
"It is better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous" Billy Crystal
Thanks for all the info. My sister was thinking of having this done and I insisted that she read all your experiences. She changed her mind. She has kids and a job and no way could she hang out in bed or on crutches.
Another friend of mind has been wearing stilettos for years (she is a fashion editor) and she has hammer toes now but they don't hurt. Just look strange. She said the docs wanted to operate on her but she refused and is glad she did because she researched the surgery that her doc was advising and it had a very long and painful down time.
That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger or drives you totally insane. :-)
demodoll
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Member
Joined: December 19 2000
Status: Offline
Points: 922
They didn't tell me about the downtime and it was waaayyyy longer than I expected. I had never had any surgeries before and assumed it would all be over in a couple of days. They asked me (in the recovery room) if I had any crutches. I said yes and he said I had to use them for weeks and couldn't drive for two weeks. No way was that going to work for me. I have a full time job and two kids and my husband travels all the time. It was really awful! And my foot didn't hurt. I just hated the way the hammertoes looked. I think they look even worse after two surgeries so your sister made the right decision. You can find shoes to cover up ugly toes but the damage that surgery does can never be corrected. It just gets worse. I am not doing my other foot which they were also wanting to do. They acted like I would be crippled in two years but I don't think so. It is not a surgery that anyone who is walking and having no pain should even think about.
Edited by demodoll
"It is better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous" Billy Crystal
In some ways doctors are like auto mechanics. And yes...my sister made the right decision thanks to your help.
My auto mechanic told me that if I didn't get my catalytic converter fixed (they wanted $3,000 - OUCH) that my car would in essence blow up. That was 12 months ago and 2 other auto mechanics told me that my car would "not blow up". So I am currently waiting for my new (more trustworthy mechanic) to find a rebuilt converter for thousands less.
Yes...I think that sometimes doctors overstate what can happen. Like auto mechanics. :-)
I didn't realize you had kids. For some reason I thought you were single and fancy free. :-) But having kids and a traveling husband and crutches. UGH. How terrible. Glad you got through it all OK.
That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger or drives you totally insane. :-)
demodoll
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Member
Joined: December 19 2000
Status: Offline
Points: 922
I am glad I was able to help your sister. And yes, I am a busy working Mom although my kids are teenagers now. They still keep me very busy and there is always something to drive too. So not being able to walk or drive was unacceptable. I have decided that all unnecessary surgery is out of the question (except maybe liposuction or a tummy tuck).
Good luck with your car. That is always a hassle. My husband usually deals with car stuff. Sexist I know but it works better that way.
"It is better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous" Billy Crystal
They suggested that I use vitamin E and there is also that stuff called Mederma (kind of expensive though). I used both but still have scaring, especially along the side of my big toe where the bunion was. They sliced into each one of my toes vertically since I had all of them corrected and those scars aren't too bad. Just white lines. My toes are still kind of red and it literally took a year for all the swelling to go down. My toes aren't real painful anymore but I noticed in an exercise class that I am taking that sometimes they hurt a bit. It is more of a permanent soreness. Not too bad but there is also some numbness, especially in my big toe that I don't think will ever go away. That bothers me a lot. And I still don't wear shoes. Just sandles and flip flops. That is OK for now because I live in south Florida and it never gets really cold here. I am probably moving back to Georgia within the next year though and I am concerned about having to wear shoes in the winter. I really don't know if there are any shoes I can stand to wear that won't hurt my toes. I can't stand to have anything touch where the scars are.
Try moisturizing your incisions when your doctor allows it maybe using neosporin or something. I think caring for that skin is most important.
"It is better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous" Billy Crystal
LatteTresses
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Newbie
Joined: September 10 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 43
Has anyone ever had corn removal sugery. My sister has a knot on both of her small toes, but I could not tell if they are actually corns. She says they really don't hurt that much and the over the counter stuff didn't work. There is like a thick layer of skin covering her entire toe. I thought corns were just a small circle. She wants to get surgery because she thinks there may be something wrong with the bone. Can anyone give me any info to deliver? If it's anything like the bunion info then I will make sure to tell her to opt out. Thanks
demodoll
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Member
Joined: December 19 2000
Status: Offline
Points: 922
I don't think corns generally require surgical removal. You can buy stuff at the grocery store to take them off. What your sister has does not sound like corns. I would suggest going to a physician to see what is wrong before taking any action.
"It is better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous" Billy Crystal
It could be either a bone spur which is common in the pinky toe, a tailor's bunion (bunion on the pinky toe), or an actual corn which is cause by pressure or a bone abnormality. I can give you a list of websites to visit for more info. I still use these boards for support.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Topic Options
Post Options
Thanks(0)
. She wants to get surgery because she thinks there may be something wrong with the bone. Can anyone give me any info to deliver? If it's anything like the bunion info then I will make sure to tell her to opt out. Thanks
